unrequited
by Killer Ladybug
Summary: Loving someone who doesn't know or feel the same hurts. Tommy and Lily know this all to well. How episode 11 could have ended. Migth add another chapter.


(I own nothing!)

(How episode 11 could have ended. I might add another chapter.)

I rode back from Mateo's house. I had kissed him, but whatever had been there before wasn't there anymore. So we went with the old 'just friends' thing much to the disappointment of his mother. But that woman bounces back fast and was trying to set me up with a friend's son by the time we finished dinner.

I park the bike on the side of the clinic as the sounds of shouting reach my ears. I walk around the clinic to see a huge crowd on the front porch with Charlie taking bets. Then I push through the crowd and there in the mud beating the shit out of each other is Keeton and Dr. Simpson. I race down the stairs as Cole runs out as well to stop the fight.

I take Dr. Simpson and Cole takes Keeton. I push Dr. Simpson back, keeping myself between him and Keeton.

"This one too? How many people are you sleeping with Keeton?" My face goes even redder. I nearly lose him as they both lunge at each other.

"Tell me, do you hire doctors or whores?" I can handle a lot of things, but that isn't one of them. I pull back and punch him square in the jaw. I'm not sure what hurt more, my hand or his face. He falls to the ground as Cole abandons Keeton to try and keep me from killing Dr. Simpson.

Unfortunately while I had gotten my revenge for what he said, Keeton hadn't. Keeton charges him taking both of them to the ground. Cole lets go of me and we race back over to once again break up the fight. This time Cole takes Dr. Simpson and I take Keeton. Cole wedges himself between them and pushes, sending them stumbling backwards. Keeton moves to go around me, I step in front of him, placing my hands on his chest.

"Stop. He's not worth it." Keeton stops and looks down at me. I am abruptly aware of how much larger than me he is. The look on his face is frightening, but I stand my ground. "He's not worth it."

Keeton's eyes never leave mine, but his breathing slows and his fists begin to loosen.

Keeping an eye on Keeton, I turn to see Cole holding Dr. Simpson in a headlock.

"I don't ever want to see your face here again. And if I do, you will regret it." Keeton snarls. Cole lets go of Dr. Simpson, he grabs his bag and climbs into the awaiting taxi.

Keeton stumbles and I catch him, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and walking him into the clinic.

Sitting him down on his office couch, I grab the medical bag from his desk and sit on the other side of the couch.

"That was incredibly stupid." I say while dousing a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and dabbing at his cheek.

"Shit, Brenner, be a little gentler, that crap stings." He winces but doesn't pull away.

"Well I wouldn't need it if you had kept your temper in check." I scold.

"Need I remind you that you slugged him as well? Nice right hook, by the way." I try not to smile.

"My dad wanted boys." Setting down the cotton ball, I grab some ointment and begin to rub it into his skin. "What was the fight about?"

"Does it matter?" He asks looking at me.

"It does to me." I take his hands in mine and examine them. They're bloody and the skin on his knuckles is bruised and cracked.

"You should take better care of your hands; you are a surgeon after all." I gently clean them and wrap them in some gauze. "Well you should be fine. Just don't go trying to rearrange someone's face for the next few days and you should make a full recovery." I smile up at him. His eyes meet mine and suddenly I'm frozen to the couch.

"Thanks, Brenner." His face is so close to mine, I can feel his breath ghosting over my face.

He's eyes flit down to my lips and he leans closer.

"Ben!" I jerk back to see Ryan round the corner into the office. She catches sight of him and her eyes go wide. "What happened?" She crouches in front of him, cupping his face in her hands. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Brenner fixed me up." Ryan turns to look at me.

"Thank you." I nod and, standing, walk quickly out of the office. I stop at the doorway, glancing back, just in time to see her kiss him. My heart lurches and I hurry out of the clinic.

The cantina is mostly empty now except for Tommy and a few other people. I walk up to Tommy and sit next to him at the bar.

"Hey." I offer in greeting.

"Hey." He mutters back glaring at his glass. We sit in silence for a bit.

"She's with him." I turn to look at Tommy.

"What?" I ask, he doesn't look at me.

"Mina, she's out with Pher." He practically growls.

"Who or what is Pher?" I ask.

"The guy I told you about. His name is Christopher, but he goes by Pher. He's a volunteer with that church group, the one that's building the school house."

"Oh." My memory finally catches up to the conversation. "Did you tell Mina how you feel?"

"Yep, I went to the market and bought her bagels and brought them to her. They were in the shower together when I got there." He looks at me, and I can see tear lines on his face. "It really hurts, you know? To love someone you can't have?"

"I know." He looks at me and nods.

"Keeton?" He asks and I nod.

"So we're both hopeless." He mutters, taking a swig of his beer.

"Well, Pher is here as a volunteer, right? So in a few weeks they'll move villages, Mina will be free and you can try again."

He nods and smiles at me.

"What about you? What's your plan to woo Keeton?"

"I'm not. He's happy and that's good enough for me." I take my drink from the bartender and chug most of it.

"No, it's not." He says watching me. "If you love him, it will never be enough."

"It has to be." I pay for my drink and head for my cabin, pretending that tears aren't running down my face.


End file.
